Houston County 56, Veterans 0
            The Bears racked up their first shutout since, well, the last time they played Veterans, 42-0 in last year’s regular-season finale. Veterans was unable to prevent its second shutout of the season while giving up the most points since last year’s 56-16 loss to Lee County in early October.  It was 28-0 at halftime, thanks to a 10-yard Austin Stinson run, an 8-yard pass from AJ Hill to Gavin Kurpis, Hill’s 17-yard run, and a 25-yard pass to Isaiah Mitchell. It’s Houston County’s biggest win since 66-7 over Tift County late in the 2022 season, and the biggest shutout since 58-0 over West Laurens earlier that season.

This week
* Saturday scouting reports
* Friday roundup
* Scouting Reports: This week’s GHSA and GIAA games
* Maxwell Predictions
* Who’s going to win this week’s games
* Central Georgia state composite rankings
* Central Georgia rankings
* Monday Morning Quarterback: Two good weeks of football for Atlanta? Loughdmoutings galore (the wit, the wisdom, the sarcasm)
* Macon Touchdown Club players of the week

Last week
* Roundup: No trouble for Warner Robins, Peach County, Northeast, Southwest, Dublin, Jasper County, others; Thriller wins for Washington County,Putnam County, FPD; Howard, Westside with surprises
* Scouting Reports: This week’s GHSA and GIAA games
* Maxwell Predictions
* Who’s going to win this week’s games
* Central Georgia state composite rankings
* What do the Central Georgia area rankings look like?
* Monday Morning Quarterback: Another black and blue battle in Lexington; Loughdmouthings: Falcons, silly second-guessing, county records …
* Macon Touchdown Club players of the week

Northside, 2-3, at No. 4 Coffee, 5-0, 3 p.m., ppd.

Class 4A

Perry 80, New Hampstead 47
            Among the amazing aspects of a mind-numbing score is the fact that this was a ballgame past the midway point of the second quarter, Perry holding a 28-27 lead, thanks to a missed PAT after a punt return for a touchdown for New Hampstead. The Panthers scored on a 61-yard TD pass not long after that, and then Jackson Thompson returned a fumble for a touchdown and a 42-27 lead, which is where it was at halftime.
            Then, oddly, it took until past the halfway point of the third for the next points, a Perry field goal. Perry took another punt back for a score and a 52-27 lead that lasted until New Hampstead scored in the final 90 second of the third, making it 52-33. The Phoenix passed for a score early in the fourth to get within 13, but not for long, the Panthers’ Decorrian Daniels taking the kickoff back 97 yards for a touchdown. It was then 59-47 before Perry returned yet another fumble (Jordan Donald) for a score, followed in less than three minutes by a pick-6, a 12-point game suddenly 73-47. The scoring finally ended on a Perry run with about four minutes left.
            It’s unofficially – but likely – a program record, and is by 25 points the most scored under Kevin Smith, Perry’s most successful head coach. The first time the Panthers cracked 50 under Smith was in the 57-56 loss to Houston County to open the 2022 season. They’ve passed 50 four times since then, topping out at 55 twice. It matches Perry’s point total for the 2014 season. Cullen McDaniel passed for 180 yards on 5 completions and Ahmad Gordon ran for 186 on 15 carries. Perry ran 48 plays to 94 for New Hampstead, which tried 71 passes.

Stockbridge 28, Jones County 21
            Jones County led 14-7 at halftime and 21-13 through three, but was outscored 15-0 in the fourth quarter, missing a field goal late in the game when it was tied at 21. Stockbridge got the game-winner on a rushing touchdown with 16 seconds left on fourth down, dropping the Greyhounds to 4-2 overall and 3-2 in Region 2-4A while Stockbridge improved to 5-1 and 5-0.

Class AAA

Peach County 55, Westover 36
            Westover led 30-27 midway through the second quarter only for Peach County to take the lead at the half with a rushing score in the final minute. It took until late in the third for the Trojans to added another score, and then they took over in the fourth quarter to improve to 5-1 overall and 1-0 in Region 1-AAA. The last time Peach County scored 50 points in consecutive games was in 2022, a 54-0 win over Upson-Lee and then 63-7 over Pike County.

Class AA

Morgan County 35, Westside 32 (for more click here)
            The second-ranked and undefeated visitors overcame a 32-21 fourth-quarter deficit to take the lead with 4:17 left, then watched Westside drive to the 19 in the final seconds. Morgan County’s defense chased Westside quarterback James Neville, whose on-the-run was just incomplete on the final play. KD Iverson ran for 313 yards to lead Westside, with TD runs of 80 and 68 among his four scores on 28 carries. Morgan County quarterback Davis Strickland complete18 of 27 for 278 yards, leading the comeback from an 18-7 second quarter deficit.

Jackson 26, Rutland 7
            The Hurricanes (0-6/0-1)  led 7-0 into the third quarter got going with a rushing TD midway through the third, adding a fumble recovery for a score a few minutes later for the lead. Jackson (3-3/1-0) picked up a rushing touchdown late in the third, and sealed it in the final four minutes.

Class A

Social Circle 29, Putnam County 22
            Social Circle led from the start, opening up a 9-0 lead after one, and Putnam County (2-4/1-1) got to within 12-7 on Rashod Daniel’s 3-yard score midway through the second quarter. The Redskins  (4-2/2-0) added a field goal for a 15-7 lead at the half. Another score made it 21-7 late in the third only for Putnam County to get another Daniel TD and conversion to cut the margin to 22-15. Social Circle scored early in the fourth on a pass, and Putnam County answered a few minutes later on Branan Griffin’s short run, but the War Eagles couldn’t convert a fumble recovery.

Lamar County 19, McNair 16
            The Trojans led 19-3 at halftime on two scores by Kenya Barnes of 50 and 22 yards, and one of 3 from Trace  Morton. McNair (2-4/0-2) cut into the margin at the 4:28 mark of the third, and then got within three on the final play of the quarter, a 99-yard pass. The Trojans (5-1/1-0) defense made it stand with a shutout in the fourth quarter.

GIAA

FPD 45, Mount de Sales 3
            Major Simmons had a day for the 6-1 Vikings, rushing for one score and passing for another four to lead FPD to its second biggest win of the season. His running TD of a yard came less than three minutes into the game, and he connected eight minutes later with Benjamin McElreath for a 7-yarder. Bennett Lake returned a fumble 10 yards 19 seconds into the second quarter before Mount de Sales (3-4) got on the board with Landon Frawley’s 33-yard field goal at the 8:26 mark. Simmons hit Heisman Alvarez for a 30-yard score less than 90 seconds later, connecting with Breck Griffin for a 9-yard with 91 seconds left in the half.
            Dominic Economopoulos, perfect on 6 PATs, added a 47-yard field goal. FPD’s defense held Mount de Sales QB Zavion Deshazier to 48 yards on 17 carries and 55 passing yards on a 9-for-20 afternoon. Simmons ran for 80 yards and passed for 112 on five completions.